Case File #141 - Millipedes

Yes you read that right...millipedes.  I'm scrapping about millipedes.  I told you in my last post that I was scrapping about something a little...different this time.  Hehe.  And actually, if you know of my daughter's love for bugs, you know it was only a matter of time before a creepy crawly made its way onto one of my pages. ;-)

Here is my layout and the CSI case file that inspired it.

It's a peculiar looking case file isn't it?  Kind of perfect for a peculiar looking little creature!  I chose pen work and epoxy accents as my evidence, and then, as prompted by the testimony, I chose to document something that many people consider strange.  Or creepy, at the very least.  I also chose to make a little quiz about what I learned when I decided to read up on these little leggy wonders.  Turns out, while they might at first seem creepy, they're actually pretty cool.

The quiz is tucked into that little pocket above, which I made out of some bug paper I picked up on clearance a few years back.

The Little Lady has been a lover of bugs since she was old enough to toddle, and I knew one day that paper was going to come in handy.  So, are you ready for the quiz?  See how many you can get right!

TRUE OR FALSE?

Millipedes, like their name suggests, have 1,000 legs.	FALSE.  Most millipedes have less than 100 legs and, in fact, when millipedes hatch, they have just 6 legs, adding a set of legs each time they molt and add a body segment.  This is called anamorphic development.
Millipedes are omnivores and eat both vegetation and other small insects.	FALSE.  Millipedes are nature’s gentle decomposers and only eat leaf litter.
When threatened, millipedes can sting predators to protect themselves.	FALSE.  Millipedes are docile creatures that do not bite, do not have pincers, and cannot sting.  They do, however, have special glands (called ozopores) that give off a foul smelling and tasting compound meant to repel predators.
Millipedes court females with songs and back rubs.	TRUE!  Females initially curl up in a ball assuming an approaching millipede is a threat, so the male loosens her up by singing her songs and walking on her back with all of those legs, giving her a millipede massage!
Millipedes were the first animals to live on land.	TRUE!  Millipede fossils found in Scotland date back 428 million years and are the oldest fossils to have spiracles (for breathing air), suggesting that millipedes were the first animals to make the move from water to land.
Millipedes make good pets.	TRUE!  They are docile, easy to feed, and require little maintenance.

Kind of cool, right?  Nature never ceases to amaze. :)  Here are some closeups.

Thanks for visiting!  I hope you have a wonderful autumn weekend planned!

xoxo,

Shawna